Criminal Damage to Rented Property (Case Study)

Mountains of rubbish in the front garden, the disposal of environmentally harmful liquids in the main garden, tampering with the central heating system, scratched panes in the stairwell, smears on flat doors – for several months the property owned by the client of our investigators in Frankfurt am Main had resembled a drug den. Yet the residents were all seemingly normal, respectable citizens: singles, single parents, families with children. Every rented flat housed at least one person in gainful employment. The current conditions were intolerable and even long-term tenants were threatening to terminate their contracts. Our client suspected only one tenant household seriously: a couple in middle age that had only recently joined the tenant community and after whose arrival the recurring incidents of criminal damage had begun immediately. Not only did the timing point to these two individuals as the main suspects, their behaviour towards other residents had repeatedly been vehemently criticised by neighbours as antisocial and once even described as “ape-like”.

To gather court-admissible evidence against the two suspects, the landlady commissioned Kurtz Investigations Frankfurt (+49 69 1201 8431) to conduct a person investigation into the previous addresses and past activities of the targets.

Interview: An Elderly Couple Reveals Background Details

In the preliminary research, the couple’s residential addresses from recent years were to be determined as well as any previous convictions. In both the number of moves and the number of police reports filed against the two individuals, an unusual concentration emerged, especially for a couple in middle age: three addresses in a few years (two in Frankfurt, one in Kassel) as well as several reports for criminal damage that, however, never resulted in criminal proceedings. After this preliminary investigation, the identified addresses were to be visited for interviews with landlords and residents.

At the first and oldest address, our private investigator in Frankfurt am Main encountered an elderly couple unloading a car upon his arrival. Both waved dismissively with a laugh: the investigator was not the first to ask about “the young people”. They were very relieved no longer to have them as neighbours. The landlord had constantly had to take legal action against the targets; the residents had repeatedly found raw eggs thrown at their windows and balconies, without there ever having been a quarrel. Although it had never been possible to catch the couple in the act, these and other crude actions, such as open insults, had begun exactly when they moved in and had ceased exactly when they moved out. No one else really came into consideration, as the other residents were long-standing tenants and decent people. The investigator thanked the couple and took down the landlord’s contact details. The latter confirmed by telephone that he had experienced the same problems with these tenancy nomads as the current client of our private investigators in Frankfurt/Main. He willingly provided us with all court documents from his proceedings against the targets.

Wilful Criminal Damage – A Tendency to Outbursts of Rage

At the second address to be checked – the one in Kassel – it was a terraced single-family house whose current tenants our investigator unfortunately could not locate. However, one of the neighbours willingly provided information: the house had previously belonged to a married couple and had later been inherited by their children. Since then, at least three ownership changes had occurred, but the man could not recall the targets, and he did not know who actually owned the house at present. The investigator should please contact another former neighbour, but when called, she hung up within seconds, believing the investigator wanted to sell her something. She did not pick up again. Evidently, she was of a significantly advanced age.

At the third address, again a terraced single-family house, our corporate investigator in Frankfurt am Main could not find anyone at home either, but he was at least able to question a young man from the neighbouring property. The terraced house had even belonged to the chaotic couple themselves. When they sold it, apparently not achieving their desired price, they had ripped out various electrical cables in the house, rendering it uninhabitable until repairs could be completed.

Further Covert Measures Against the Tenancy Nomads

Through the investigations, our Frankfurt commercial investigators were able to gather multiple indications and witnesses attesting to the regularity of the devastation and other misconduct by the chaotic couple. In addition, two further measures were taken that cannot be described here due to an ongoing legal procedure. There is little doubt that a legally binding conviction of the offenders will follow, but whether our client will ever receive financial compensation from such individuals with such antisocial behavioural patterns is, unfortunately, more than doubtful.